Backing a flat bow

[fflintlock]

Good day folks, I'm kinda new here. Have been doing some reading and learning. Good and informitive site I might add.
 To my question if I may,
I have a 68" 45 1/2# @28" white oak flat bow.
It has a small splinter about 9" from the bottom nock end, it is in the middle portion of the limb. I was thinking of getting some glue in there and backing it with something, snew, linen, rawhide or ?
I have never built a bow, but would like to save this one if at all possible.
Any suggestions or tips on this and is it possible to do this ?
I guess it would change the poundage as well ?
Thanks,
Jerald Eyer

[tom sawyer]

First of all, welcome to the site.  Glad you could stop in and shoot us a question or two.

What I would do, is to squirt some thin superglue in the crack.  That stuff penetrates deep intoa  crack.  Then I would wrap the affected area with thread about a half inch past either end of the crack.  I would then coat the thread with some woodworkers glue.  I would use a nice color of thread (cotton in as thick a thread as you can find), and I would put a similar wrap on the other limb so people would think it was just an artistic touch.  This won't affect the poundage of the bow.

Backing with linen wouldn't affect poundage either, it might slow the bow down just a hair though.  And I don't see the need to back the entire bow unless you want to, but I think I'd wrap the splinter as described above either way.

Good luck with your bow.  Lots of splinters have been repaired successfully.

[fflintlock]

Good idea, Thanks !
Thick cotton thread, how about embriody thread, as long as it's cotton ?
I would like to keep the wood visible if at all possible.
 Hmmm, wonder how the thread would look as a handle wrap as well, just glue down good.
Jerald

[Pat B]

  Jerald, I would do just as Lennie said but the thread doesn't have to be cotton. I use silk but synthetics work too. For a good handle wrap I got a ball of hemp twine from Wally World for about $5. After I've wrapped it I saturate it in waterproof glue.   Pat

[fflintlock]

I have some hemp, in several different thicknesses, I also have some linen thread.
I forgot to ask, when wrapping the splinter area with the thread, is it just one tight, close, single layer of thread, or a couple ofl layers wrapped over it's self ?
Thanks folks, this is great.
Jerald

[Pat B]

A single,tight wrapping of your thinnest hemp or linen is perfect. The length of the wrap depends on the splinter. But 1/4" to 1/2" wide should do.   Pat